American Football has gained a lot in popularity over the last 10 years in the UK and Ireland. The NFL now has mandated games being played in the UK and it’s being upped to 3 next year. Bars round Belfast show American football on a regular basis and many bars and living room are full once a year for the up-all-night extravaganza that is the Superbowl. Well we have our own version of the Superbowl and it’s the all-Ireland Shamrock bowl. Local teams Carrickfergus Knights, Craigavon Cowboys and the Belfast Trojans compete in the IAFL (Irish American Football League) North as part of the Shamrock Bowl conference, along with southern teams the Dublin Rebels and the West Dublin Rhinos. Local games are happening all the time check out the IAFL website for more info!
Belfast Roller Derby is a great all girls sport (though guys can be officials, they're just not tough enough to actually play ;) that happens roughly every month or 2 at the Valley leisure centre in Newtownabbey. Belfast now has 2 teams – Belfast Banshees and (excellently named B team) The Norn Iron Maidens. Most nights you get 2 bouts for the price of one. Last year they became a part of the main roller derby league in the UK the UKRDA and they regularly play against teams from all over the UK as well as southern Ireland! It’s a rough and tumble old sport and injuries are fairly common, but I makes for a great night out!
While not technically a sport I’ve included this as it’s as competitive as any sporting contest I’ve ever been to. Local boys PWU have been putting on shows for years, they have been putting on shows to be proud of for a little less time but are currently in their prime. Larger than life characters, chants, drinking and wins and losses make up the show at any PWU event you attend. We also have the more international flavoured Wrestling.ie touring the country with local stars and international stars alike. The WWE now visits twice year as well, regularly selling out the Odyssey arena, if you fancy a butchers at the major leagues. Of course if you don’t mind traveling a little further TNA IMPACT wrestling come to Dublin every year in January to play to a sell-out crowd there as well. Cheer for the good guys (faces) and boo the bad guys (heels) or even the other way around if you feel so inclined. A guilty pleasure if ever there was one.
We’re no stranger to Ice Hockey in NI, our Belfast Giants are 13 years old and were introduced at a time when a “cross-community” sport was much needed. Along came the Giants Ice Hockey Team with their all-inclusive motto “In the land of the Giants, everyone is equal”. The giants have had their ups and downs – from being League winners to nearly declaring bankruptcy. However nowadays (along with the Nottingham Panthers) at the Odyssey Arena, they have some of the best attended ICE Hockey games in the UK. Like all sports listed here this can be rough and on occasion players are allowed to throw their gloves off and have “fisticuffs” before a baying crowd. The action at a Giants match is fast and furious and they have very vocal crowds. It’s a great atmosphere and let’s just hope they can take the League again this year.
For many years Skateboards, BMXs, Blades and basically anyone with wheels were considered the scourge of Belfast. A once thriving St. Annes was torn down just to stop people skating. And so the Skaters had nowhere to go. However in recent years they now have 2 (once again thriving) places to indulge. The smaller outdoor concrete skatepark - Belfast Bridges Skatepark and the much larger indoor T13 in the Titanic Quarter. The outdoor skatepark is under the M3 and with trains going by overhead on a regular basis wouldn’t look out of place on a Tony Hawks game. T13 boasts a space for all kinds of wheels as well as hosting, concerts, dancing and Art. Skating has been on the Rise in NI since the naugties and good to see that in the last year or 2 it finally has a home.
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